Natural disaster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Natural disasters)

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic

eruption, earthquake, or landslide). It leads to financial, environmental or human losses. The resulting loss
depends on the vulnerability of the affected population to resist the hazard, also called their resilience. [1] This
understanding is concentrated in the formulation: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability."[2] A natural
hazard will hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in
uninhabited areas. The term natural has consequently been disputed because the events simply are not
hazards or disasters without human involvement. [3] A concrete example of the division between a natural
hazard and a natural disaster is that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a disaster, whereas earthquakes
are a hazard. This article gives an introduction to notable natural disasters, refer to the list of natural
disasters for a comprehensive listing.

Main articles: Disaster and List of natural disasters

[edit]Geological disasters
[edit]Avalanches

Main article:  List of avalanches

See also:  Avalanche

Avalanche on the backside (East) of Mt. Timpanogos, Utah at Aspen Grove trail

Notable avalanches include:

 The 1910 Wellington avalanche

 The 1954 Blons avalanches

 The 1999 Galtür Avalanche

 The 2002 Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide

[edit]Earthquakes

Main article:  List of earthquakes

See also:  Earthquake

An earthquake is a sudden shake of the Earth's crust caused by the tectonic plates colliding.The vibrations may
vary in magnitude. The underground point of origin of the earthquake is called the "focus". The point directly
above the focus on the surface is called the"epicenter". Earthquakes by themselves rarely kill people or wildlife.
It is usually the secondary events that they trigger, such as building collapse, fires, tsunamis (seismic sea
waves) and volcanoes, that are actually the human disaster. Many of these could possibly be avoided by better
construction, safety systems, early warning and evacuation planning.Earthquakes are caused by the discharge
of energy accumulated along geologic fault.

Some of the most significant earthquakes in recent times include:

 The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the third largest earthquake in recorded history, registering
a moment magnitude of 9.1-9.3. The huge tsunamis triggered by this earthquake cost the lives of at least
229,000 people.

 The 7.6-7.7 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which cost 79,000 lives in Pakistan.

 The 7.7 magnitude July 2006 Java earthquake, which also triggered tsunamis.

 The 7.9 magnitude May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. Death toll at over
61,150 as of May 27, 2008.
[edit]Volcanic eruptions
Main article:  List of largest volcanic eruptions

See also:  Types of volcanic eruptions

Pu'u 'Ō'ō

Volcanoes can cause widespread destruction and consequent diaster through several ways. The effects
include the volcanic eruption itself that may cause harm following the explosion of the volcano or the fall of
rock. Second, lava may be produced during the eruption of a volcano. As it leaves the volcano the lava
destroys any buildings and plants it encounters. Third, volcanic ash generally meaning the cooled ash - may
form a cloud, and settle thickly in nearby locations. When mixed with water this forms a concrete-like material.
In sufficient quantity ash may cause roofs to collapse under its weight but even small quantities will harm
humans if inhaled. Since the ash has the consistency of ground glass it causes abrasion damage to moving
parts such as engines. The main killer of humans in the immediate surrounding of an volcanic eruption is
the pyroclastic flows, which consist of a cloud of hot volcanic ash which builds up in the air above the volcano
and rushes down the slopes when the eruption no longer supports the lifting of the gases. It is believed
that Pompeii was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow. A lahar is a volcanic mudflow or landslide. The
1953 Tangiwai disaster was caused by a lahar, as was the 1985 Armero tragedy in which the town of Armero
was buried and an estimated 23,000 people were killed.

A specific type of volcano is the supervolcano. According to the Toba catastrophe theory 70 to 75 thousand

years ago a super volcanic event at Lake Toba reduced the human population to 10,000 or even 1,000
breeding pairs creating a bottleneck in human evolution. It also killed three quarters of all plant life in the
northern hemisphere. The main danger from a supervolcano is the immense cloud of ash which has a
disastrous global effect on climate and temperature for many years.

[edit]Hydrological disasters
[edit]Floods

Main article:  List of floods

See also:  Flooding

The Limpopo River, in southernMozambique, during the 2000 Mozambique flood

Some of the most notable floods include:

 The 2010 Pakistan floods, damaged crops and the infrastructure, while claiming many lives.

 The Huang He (Yellow River) in China floods particularly often. The Great Flood of 1931 caused
between 800,000 and 4,000,000 deaths.

 The Great Flood of 1993 was one of the most costly floods in United States history.

 The 1998 Yangtze River Floods, also in China, left 14 million people homeless.

 The 2000 Mozambique flood covered much of the country for three weeks, resulting in thousands of
deaths, and leaving the country devastated for years afterward.

Tropical cyclones can result in extensive flooding and storm surge, as happened with:

 Bhola Cyclone, striking East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1970,

 Typhoon Nina, striking China in 1975,

 Tropical Storm Allison, which struck Houston, Texas in 2001 and

 Hurricane Katrina, which left most of New Orleans under water in 2005. Much of the flooding was due
to the failure of the city's levee system.
[edit]Limnic eruptions
See also:  Limnic eruption
A cow suffocated by gases from Lake Nyos after alimnic eruption

A limnic eruption occurs when a gas, usually CO2 suddenly erupts from deep lake water, posing the threat of
suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. Such an eruption may also cause tsunamis in the lake as the rising
gas displaces water. Scientists believe landslides, volcanic activity, or explosions can trigger such an eruption.
To date, only two limnic eruptions have been observed and recorded:

 In 1984, in Cameroon, a limnic eruption in Lake Monoun caused the deaths of 37 nearby residents.

 At nearby Lake Nyos in 1986 a much larger eruption killed between 1,700 and 1,800 people
by asphyxiation.
[edit]Tsunamis

Main article:  Historic tsunamis

See also:  Tsunami

The tsunami caused by the December 26, 2004, earthquake strikes Ao Nang, Thailand.

Tsunamis can be caused by undersea earthquakes as the one caused in Ao Nang, Thailand, by the 2004
Indian Ocean Earthquake, or by landslides such as the one which occurred at Lituya Bay, Alaska.

 Ao Nang, Thailand (2004). The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake created the Boxing Day Tsunami and
disaster at this site.

 Lituya Bay, Alaska (1953). A mega-tsunami occurred here, the largest ever recorded.

(This also fits within the "Land movement disaster" category because it started with an earthquake.)

 See also 2010 Chile earthquake

 on October 26, 2010, a tsunami occurred at Sumatra, Indonesia

[edit]Meterological disasters

See also:  Meteorological disasters

Young steer after a blizzard, March 1966

[edit]Blizzards

See also:  Blizzard

Blizzards are severe storm characterized by low temperature,strong winds,heavy snow. the difference between
a Blizzard and a snow storm is the strength of the wind. to be a Blizzard, a snow must have winds in excess of
35 miles per hour and it should reduce the visibility to 1/4th of mile and must last for a prolonged period of 3
hours or more. ground Blizzards require high winds to stirrup snow that has already fallen,rather than fresh
snowfall. Blizzards have a negative impact on local economics and can paralyze the visibility in regions where
snowfall is rare. the 1972 IRAN Blizzard resulted in approximately 4000 deaths lasted for 5 to 7 days was the
deadliest recorded.

Significant blizzards in the United States include:

 The Great Blizzard of 1888

 The Schoolhouse Blizzard earlier the same year

 The Armistice Day Blizzard in 1940

 The Storm of the Century in 1993

[edit]Cyclonic storms
Main article:  List of tropical cyclones

See also:  Tropical cyclone  and  Cyclone

Cyclone, tropical cyclone, hurricane, and typhoon are different names for the same phenomenon a cyclonic
storm system that forms over the oceans. The deadliest hurricane ever was the 1970 Bhola cyclone; the
deadliest Atlantic hurricane was the Great Hurricane of 1780 which devastated Martinique, St. Eustatius and
Barbados. Another notable hurricane isHurricane Katrina which devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States
in 2005.

[edit]Droughts

See also:  Drought

Well-known historical droughts include:

 1900 India killing between 250,000 and 3.25 million.

 1921-22 Soviet Union in which over 5 million perished from starvation due to drought

 1928-30 northwest China resulting in over 3 million deaths by famine.

 1936 and 1941 Sichuan Province China resulting in 5 million and 2.5 million deaths respectively.
 As of 2006, states of Australia including Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and
Queensland had been under drought conditions for five to ten years. The drought is beginning to affect
urban area populations for the first time.

 In 2006, Sichuan Province China experienced its worst drought in modern times with nearly 8 million
people and over 7 million cattle facing water shortages.
[edit]Hailstorms

See also:  Hailstorm

Hailstorms are rain drops that have formed together into ice. A particularly damaging hailstorm hit Munich,
Germany, on July 12, 1984, causing about 2 billion dollars in insurance claims.

[edit]Heat waves
See also:  Heat wave

The worst heat wave in recent history was the European Heat Wave of 2003.

Hurricane Katrina

A summer heat wave in Victoria, Australia, caused the massive bushfires in 2009. Melbourne experienced

three days in a row of temperatures exceeding 40°C. The bushfire, otherwise known as "Black Saturday" was
also started intentionally.

[edit]Tornadoes

Main article:  List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

See also:  Tornado

This section requires expansion.

[edit]Fires

Main article:  List of forest fires

See also:  Wildfire

Wildfires are an uncontrolled fire burning in wildland areas. Common causes include lightning and drought but

wildfires may also be started by human negligence or arson. They can be a threat to those in rural areas and
also wildlife.

Notable cases of wildfires were the 1871 Peshtigo Fire in the United States, which killed at least 1700 people,
and the 2009 Victorian bushfiresin Australia.
[edit]Health disasters
[edit]Epidemics

Main article:  List of epidemics

See also:  Epidemics

The A H5N1 virus, which causes Avian influenza

An epidemic is an outbreak of a contractible disease that spreads at a rapid rate through a human population.

A pandemic is an epidemic whose spread is global. There have been many epidemics throughout history, such
as Black Death. In the last hundred years, significant pandemics include:

 The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, killing an estimated 50 million people worldwide

 The 1957-58 Asian flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 1 million people

 The 1968-69 Hong Kong flu pandemic

 The 2002-3 SARS pandemic

 The AIDS epidemic, beginning in 1959

 The H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Pandemic 2009-2010

Other diseases that spread more slowly, but are still considered to be global health emergencies by
the WHO include:

 XDR TB, a strain of tuberculosis that is extensively resistant to drug treatments

 Malaria, which kills an estimated 1.6 million people each year

 Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which has claimed hundreds of victims in Africa in several outbreaks
[edit]Famines

Main article:  List of famines

See also:  Famine

In modern times, famine has hit Sub-Saharan Africa the hardest, although the number of victims of modern
famines is much smaller than the number of people killed by the Asian famines of the 20th century